I Think I'm Paranoid
by TexasPsychoVixen
Summary: Right when everything was starting to look up...shes torn away from everything and everyone she knows. And now she has to survive if she ever wants to remember it all.
1. Diamonds are a girls Bestfriend

Wow this story is about two years old! Well I think it's high time I started finishing this! I had a lot of people waiting on this so I'm gonna keep my promise of re-writing! Hopefully I can clarify all my loop holes from the first draft. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! This is the story where Pan ends up in the Mirai timeline with no memory, in case you forgot.

I have two weeks left of my maternity leave so hopefully I can get a good portion of this done.

This is for my daughter Gwendolyn.

Story- Pan has always tried to fit in with the crowds. She dresses to impress and gets all her "morals in life" from the articles of magazines. She has a thing for Trunks but mostly because he is so desirable among the female species. Pan has always known the phrase "Outer beauty is only skin deep." And she is about to find out the true meaning behind it. So when her life takes unexpected turns, how will she live out the rest of her life based on her experiences?

Chapter One- Life is a Drag

"Go ahead, show us how 'grown up' you are _Pan_."

Pan tried to look casual in front of her so-called 'friends'. They were all waiting for her to, yet again, prove her friendship 'worthiness'. She didn't dare ask as to why it was always HER proving herself to THEM in fear that they'd just cast her aside altogether.

"What's the matter? Too 'good' to have a little fun?"

This wasn't high school. This was elementary and Pan was standing in front of the class trying to solve some difficult math problem while her peers looked on, ready to answer in her place should she prove incompetent.

She lifted the cigarette to her lips while someone shoved a lighter to her face faster than she would have liked. She saw Marron, Bra, and Cherry (the nickname for their 'exotic' American friend Charise), smile at each other. A couple of their boyfriends were there with them.

"Come on, just like we showed you, Pan."

Pan gave a little nod and took her first drag of her first cigarette.

They laughed hysterically as she coughed and sputtered when she should have been exhaling and winning their imminent respect and approval.

"_Damnit!"_

They each proceeded to smoke their own cigarettes while still giggling at Pan. Pan thought the damn thing was awful and couldn't understand why anyone would want to PAY for such a habit.

The only thing that seemed to answer that was the relaxed feeling she was starting to experience. But still, the rest of the effects were nauseating.

Marron finally spoke up and Pan braced herself for unknown. It was a toss up between praise and catty criticism.

"Well Pan it seems you're catching on."

Finally…some well-earned praise, well, what WOULD be considered 'praise' coming from the great Marron herself. Most people went out of their way to get that 'praise', no one more intensely than Pan. And Marron knew it, of course.

The group was sitting in one of the more hidden parts of the school campus, naturally, since they were smoking. Orange Star High School had grown since Son Gohan had been a student there. The world was much different; technology was now in every crack and corner of the school, as well as the rest of the city. Capsule Corp. had become somewhat of a monopoly in the entire country and even some surrounding countries. Of course, to avoid any lawsuits or legal problems, they bought stock in other companies to show they were 'supporting' the competition.

This 'minor factor' meant a great deal of pressure for the direct heir to it all, Trunks Brief. Of course his younger sister, Bra Brief, got some of that pressure as well, but not as much as her brother. Girls, and some of the more daring young gay men, constantly hit on him and tried for his attention. Of course, aside from the aspiring 'homos', as he called them, he didn't mind too much. What guy in his right mind would?

His mother, the heart of Capsule Corp herself, tried to put her children in a more 'exclusive' school where they would be surrounded by other young people who came from money, instead of the gold-digging "bourgeoisie", as she mildly put them. Bulma, Trunks mother, wasn't exactly 'old money' but she wasn't exactly 'new' either. She didn't look down on people with less income but she had come to see that having as much money as she did now seemed to attract all the wrong kinds of people. Greed was now a more prominent detail to Bulma and she wanted her kids to be away from the bulk of it. Of course she knew very well that rich people could be just as greedy, if not more.

Trunks and Bra had made the very good argument that they had to learn to 'deal' with people like that, not avoid them, in order to co-exist with the rest of the world. Reluctantly, Bulma let them go to public school. Bulma had wanted Trunks to have a distinguished education for when he became the CEO of Capsule Corp. But once again, he came up with the counter-argument that if went to a regular public school, he would be seen as 'one of the people'. A very good business tactic when their main investors were middle class.

He was thinking like a business man already.

So with all this in mind, naturally one of the best looking and the RICHEST guy in school would be dating the most popular girl right? Not exactly; Trunks, Bra, Marron, Goten (Pans uncle) and Pan had all grown up together, therefore, Marron was more like a cousin to Trunks than dating material. Of course, that didn't stop Marron from trying.

When the bell rang, they watched everyone slowly march back to their classes, while they naturally just took even more time to get moving. Apparently being late was 'fashionable', Pan knew it just drew more attention and that's why they did it. They were always finding ways to get attention and succeeding. It was like this art form that they created and perfected. The American girl, Cherry, had become fast friends with Marron and Bra and, indirectly, Pan. Marron and Bra wanted to know about all the American trends and start them at Orange Star. Cherry could be just as nasty as Marron and Bra but she had a more roundabout way of doing so. She also had a nicer side, and not just when a cute guy was around. She would show this side to Pan a little when Marron and Bra weren't around. But Pan could tell that Cherry wanted to be liked by Marron as much as Pan did, and respected that fact even when she was being catty with her.

Bra had finished her cigarette and was now flirting with her boy toy of the week (or possibly two weeks) while Marron ignored the guy pining for her attention while she chatted with Cherry. Cherry said she didn't date just 'anyone'. She had certain demands that had to be met and apparently only a few guys met them. Marron insisted that boys just came to her and she just learned to accept it. Pan was just kinda there, reveling in her relaxed feeling while constantly sipping her drink to get the taste out of her mouth. Marron looked at her digital designer watch, "Ok ladies, let's spray and stray!" That was Marrons 'slang' for spritzing body spray to mask the odor of smoke and slipping of to class.

Marron always came up with random terms like that, some were clever and some were lame, but who was gonna tell 'her' that?

Before they went their separate ways Marron spoke up. "Girls, its FRIDAY, the 'Sabbath', and there's gonna be a killer party tonight. I've arranged a small, 'surprise' for us. I'll call you all after school and we can meet at my house. Pan, let me know if your 'mommy and daddy' say its ok."

Pan gave a half smile and nodded. The other girl's parents seemingly let them do almost whatever they wanted. Pans parents were way stricter on her. She had to call when she got to her destination, call a few hours after that, and call when she was on her way home. Her friends always laughed and called her 'Chibi Panny'. Pan picked up on pretending she had to go to the bathroom and then called them from the restroom.

Pan wondered what the 'surprise' could be and if it would be anything like the last 'surprise'. Last time Marron somehow got her hands on a bottle of vodka. That was one of the other times Pan had to 'prove' herself. She was so grateful that she was spending the night at Bra's house that time or else she would have been shitfaced in front of her parents and in BIG trouble. She couldn't even remember most of that night. From all the knowing smiles she was getting from some of the other kids at school on Monday, she knew she didn't want to.

Trunks finally made it to his car in the school parking lot.

"Here's my number Trunks! Give me a ring sometime!"

He nodded.

"You have to come to our party tonight! It's gonna be the bomb!"

Another nod.

"Do you date younger women?"

He raised an eyebrow and stuttered something incomprehensible.

All he wanted to do was get in the damn car and speed away from all these maniacal females that he knew he was too nice to. When he finally did get in the car and start the engine, he had numerous names and numbers scribbled on his hands and arms.

What…the…HELL?

Why couldn't they leave him be? Of course the answer was OBVIOUS but he was starting to grow tired of his constant attention from girls that he would probably just sleep with. He kinda resented the way he let himself become somewhat of a 'playboy'. He didn't really have any complaints; he was, after all, a healthy teenage boy on the brink of manhood and imminent success and wealth. He knew lots of successful business men that had their own retinue of women. The burning question in the back of his mind was where did it all end? Did women just become objects to be selected whenever he chose?

Whatever. Right now he was young and carefree.

He drove home anxious to crash out on his bed for a little while, finish that god awful homework so he could have a care free weekend, and go to his friends' party with Goten. Goten was his lifelong friend that was more like the brother he never had. Gotens' older brother, Gohan, was like the BIG brother he never had. Gohan was also his little friend Pans dad. Pan was the pitifully adorable girl that followed Marron and his little sister Bra around. Poor thing, she really was a nice person, not at all like his sister and her friend 'Malibu Marron'. At one time, they all used to be somewhat closer. Of course, it was when they were all kids. That was when Pan had her little heart set on being a fighter like the men in her family (and extended family). Marron and Bra still played with dolls and were more like sisters, even with Pan.

Now they were caught up in a material world of rich vs. poor, glamorous vs. wannabes, pretty vs. ugly. Trunks thought it was all ridiculous even though he was a willing participant. He used his good looks and even his money to get his way more than once. Now it was more of an art for him.

He had different girls all the time. Some of his teachers could be 'persuaded' not to record his absences or tardiness. He never had to worry about grades because he was in the top 5 in the graduating class. He would never pay off anyone for a grade related issue. That would only come back to bite him in the ass. He couldn't have his intellectual reputation tainted in any way. That would only bring down the company. He was smart enough to know that much.

His mother had groomed him for the latter half of his life after he stopped fighting to become the CEO of Capsule Corp. Surprisingly he absorbed it like dying plants drinks water. He was definitely ready.

.

Pan hurried out of the school bus and ran the rest of the way home. She was dying to pick out her clothes for tonight. She spent all day wondering what Marrons surprise would be. She also wanted to get home to her journal and write. Writing was a way of expression for her. It helped her lay out her thoughts and think. When she was angry, nervous, upset, happy, she wrote. She didn't know what she'd do without it. If her parents had ever found it, she'd probably be grounded for life.

She walked into the house and made a mad dash for the stairs when her mothers' voice stopped her.

"Pan, get in here."

Shit, this couldn't be good. Her mom was too calm. Her dad wasn't home yet, thank God. She walked into the kitchen where her mom was drinking coffee. Her house was always immaculate, as was a trademark of the 'Son' family. Pan was a trained house keeper. Her room wasn't always too nice but hey, she was a teenager, she HAD to have SOME normalcy. The kitchen smelled like spices and herbs. Her mom, as well as Pan, was a regular 'gourmet chef'. Of course, her Grandma Chichi had a hand in this. The kitchen was a deep red with black and white tile. In the middle was an island with a built in sink and cutting board. Underneath were big aluminum pots and above it, hanging on an iron oval with hooks all around the sides, were smaller pans and skillets for easy access. The island itself was a cherry wood to match all the cabinets wrapped around the rest of the kitchen. Videl was sitting at the island on a tall thin stool that had black iron legs that looked like stilts and curled out a little at the bottom. The seat itself was a plastic red plush that seemed to glitter a little. There was also a little red plush on the back of the seat held up by more iron.

She looked up at Pan after taking a sip of her homemade latte. The faint clink of the cup returning to its matching saucer could be heard loud as a bell to Pan, who was waiting for her mother to tell her what she had done wrong.

"Pan…we got your report card today."

Shit, just that one sentence said it all. Pan instantly knew where this whole conversation was going. Now she was REALLY glad her dad wasn't home yet.

"Pan I don't understand. There are notes from almost ALL your teachers on here saying how you ALWAYS walk in late no matter what they tell you. It's like you're TRYING to be late! If that's not enough they say you never do your homework! You're incredibly intelligent IN the classroom but outside of it…nothing."

Pan didn't say anything; she knew she was guilty of all that stuff. Being 'fashionably' late, being too busy trying to impress Marron and the girls OUTSIDE of class. Pan began to realize how much time she was actually putting into that. But it was so worth it! Her mom just wouldn't understand that she was THIS CLOSE to being Marrons friend, her REAL friend, like Bra or Cherry. She worked so hard and she wasn't going to let this bring her down. She would just have to find a way to get her homework done in the cracks of her spare time.

"Are you listening to me? Pan you're smarter than the average person, you got that from your dad. But you have the grades of a below average student! What IS this Pan? These grades are going to help determine whether you make 10,000 a year or 70,000 a year! Really Pan you're so wrapped up in your clothes and your 'friends' and your STUFF that you're messing everything up for yourself!"

Pan got angry and defensive at her mother. "Whatever mom you don't understand my life! I work hard for what's important to 'me', it's MY life! I can still be successful even if my grades aren't that good. Did you even think that maybe I have more IMPORTANT things to worry about? You don't know what it's like to be in my high school! Orange Star is a different place now and 'I'm" the one who has to LIVE with it!"

Videl stood up from her chair, not liking her daughters' disrespectfulness. "Don't talk to ME like that young lady! I'm just doing my job as a parent and making sure my child is going in the right direction. And I DO understand your life better than you think. EVERYONE knows what your life is like. It's MARRONS life! You're spending all your time being her little lap dog so she'll MAYBE throw you a bone once in awhile but you're the only one whose gonna get burned! You can't spend the rest of your life trying to make her like you! People like that don't win in the end and I WONT let her take you down with her! But if you do…then that's YOUR loss and YOU have to live with it…alone."

Pan had tears in her eyes. How could her mother say all that to her? Didn't she care? Didn't she want her daughter to be happy? If she DID understand she'd try to HELP her not bring her down!

"I can't believe how cold you are! You don't care about my feelings or my life! So who CARES if I fail HIGH SCHOOL? It's not the end of the world! And once I graduate I'm leaving this stupid house!"

Videl shook her head with a sigh of defeat. "You do that then, but like I said, you'll swim in your struggles alone. I'm trying to help you NOW. That's REALLY caring, not like Marron or Bra. I just want you to have TRUE happiness…"

"I can do that by myself thanks."

Videl sat back down and rested her chin in her palm. "You can go now."

Pan just huffed angrily and stomped upstairs. This was the LAST thing she needed after a stressful day. She slammed the door to her room, dropped her backpack, and crouched over a particular floorboard in the corner of her room. She lifted it up and reached inside to grab her prized possession. She pulled a pen off her desk and sat on her bed. Her dresser was covered with various lipsticks, blushes, foundations, crèmes, eye pencils, lotions, earrings, bracelets, all the accessories a teenage girl could think of. Teen magazines were all over the place. Pan had posters of models, designer clothing, pop stars, and other things all over the walls. She had a full length mirror in one corner, a desk with papers and writing utensils splashed over it.

The most out of place object was a tall bookcase FULL of famous and indie literature. She had books on philosophy, fiction, science, history, art, memoirs, encyclopedias, theories, and various others. Even more surprisingly, she had read them all, some more than once or even twice. Pan had various paintings stuffed in her closet that she had done after studying Rembrandt, Dali, and even DaVinci. She even studied more modern artists from magazines, John John Jesse, Kathie Olivas, and Josh Clay. She even studied other languages, Latin, French, English, and naturally classical Japanese writing. Japanese history was among her favorites.

But she had stopped reading those a long time ago. She got caught up in Hurricane Marron and now the closest thing to literature she had was Seventeen Magazine. Sadly, she hardly noticed the transition most of the time.

She put her pen down on the first line and let her hand take over.

**My mom is the most sadistic person EVER! She put me down because I want to have friends! Who doesn't want to have friends? I can always pick my grades back up, but she didn't have to INSULT my dignity! I can't believe how naïve she is sometimes! She ruined such a good day! Now I probably won't find out what Marrons surprise is! Oh no! The PARTY!!! Now I probably can't even go!! Damnit!! Why can't she understand that high school is more than stupid grades! She's messing up ALL my hard work over something so dumb! I can fix those grades in a snap! Oh yeah…today I smoked my first cigarette. Honestly, it wasn't very pleasant. It was lunch time and Cherry brought her pack of Camels. Marron and Bra have smoked before apparently. They all watched me while I smoked and they laughed when I coughed! I was so humiliated! I wonder if they coughed when THEY first smoked…who am I kidding they're good at EVERYTHING they do, they probably did it right. I hope I don't have to smoke another one anytime soon…although I doubt it. Oh well, I worked too hard to let some silly little sticks ruin it. I've GOT to get to that party! I can't let them call me Chibi Panny this time! I gotta show them that I've got guts of my own and that I don't let my 'parents' control me. Oh shit dads home.**

Pan put her journal away and then listened intently. She listened through one of the pipes that went through her attic room. It wasn't crystal clear but it certainly helped. She heard her mom telling her dad the earlier conversation, her dad didn't sound too thrilled.

"She said what? Why would she say that, she knows all we care about is HER."

Videl sighed, "I don't know Gohan, she's a teenage girl with peer pressure issues. What can I say? She doesn't see the bigger picture. She's trying so hard to grow up that she's failing miserably. I don't know what to do anymore."

Pan hated that they were talking about her like that. How could they? They should be more sympathetic.

Pan heard footsteps on the stairs, heavy ones, they were her fathers. She braced herself for what would happen next, hopefully a stern scolding at the most.

There was a slight knock on her door. "Come in" was Pans response. Her dad stuck his head in the door, and very calmly said, "You're grounded until I see an improved report card."

And with that he left, closing the door behind him. Pan sat there in utter fury. How COULD they? She wouldn't get another report card for another six weeks! They couldn't DO this to her! She would miss out on all of Bras' slumber parties, Marrons surprises, and Cherry's exclusive get-togethers where they traded clothes and accessories. She had made SO much progress and sacrificed so much! No, they wouldn't ruin this for her. Someday they might understand but now, she had to help herself when her parents wouldn't.

Her cell phone ringer started playing, it was Marrons ringer. She answered with all the confidence she suddenly had. "Hey girl, what's going down tonight?" Marron laughed a little on the other end. "Well that depends, can you come?"

Pan had debated this moment a few seconds earlier. Would she tell her she wasn't allowed but was going to anyways and show that she was on 'her own terms' or would she say yes and act like her parents were finally recognizing her transition to young adulthood? To be safe in case her parents should ever be talking to Marron or the other girls, she went with plan A.

"I'm grounded but I'm meeting you guys anyways. Can one of you meet me down the road from my house?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment, a moment that seemed like forever to Pan. And finally, "Wow Pan, I'm actually impressed, looks like we finally taught you something! I'll pick you up 'myself', how's that?"

Now it was Pans turn to be silent. Marron never went out of her way for anyone but Bra and now sometimes Cherry. She was finally doing it. She was winning this drawn out battle. Maybe being grounded wouldn't be SO bad, maybe it was just what she needed.

"Perfect."

When she was SURE her parents were asleep, Pan slipped out her window, wishing she had learned to fly at some point, and managed to make her way down to the ground. She ran the short distance to where Marrons car was parked. Marron, Bra, and Cherry were cheering Pan on a little. "Go Pan! You finally grew up!" Pan was smiling ear to ear but she held a finger to her lips anyways. Her dad had impeccable hearing, and she didn't want EVERYTHING to be ruined so fast. She went to the opposite side of the car when Marron said to her, "You got shotgun Pan Chan."

Another small victory for Son Pan…this was it. This is what she'd tried so hard for. She said hello to the girls and noticed that they had already drank a few beers and were being silly. Pan had that sinking feeling she usually got when they were up to things they shouldn't be but she pushed it aside. Tonight was her night.

Wow, this story has changed A LOT from the original. This was the ice breaker chapter. The next one kinda dives into the thick of the plot and takes off from there. This story is centered on Pan but it pretty much has stories about everyone else that all kinda tie in together. Well…I really hope you guys keep reading this, this story has been on my mind since I started writing it two years ago. I have some people I owe to finish this. So please review or re-review! Thanks. Please tell what you think so far too.

Knives

(used to be Trunxchic)


	2. Friends are for Backstabbing

Hmm….yeah I do agree that the first chapter was a bit rushed and maybe even a bit cliché…I'm just glad it's only the FIRST chapter. I'll try to slow down and let this all come naturally and not worry so much about semantics. Writing is an art form…it should come out like art. Yay I'm in a good mood today thank GOD. I hope I can manage to entangle you into a spiraling yet structured plot that delivers to every one of your senses! Yeehaw!

Knives

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Chapter 2- Friends are for Backstabbing

Goten pulled on his black shirt and checked his black spiky hair in the mirror. He was getting ready to go over to Trunks' place and head out to a party. He wasn't always too keen on the party scene, especially the out of control ones where people just got stupid and scary. He knew he could get pretty wild but he would never do some of the stuff he'd seen other people do, it just wasn't worth it.

He caught a glimpse of something under the bed. He scowled, knowing what it was. It was a picture of him with his older brother and his old man, Goku. He was the heart of the Z fighters and he HAD to know that to SOME degree; but silly him…so oblivious to the more important things in life. Things like his WIFE and two adoring SONS! Goten had spent so many years worshiping his father like everyone else. The last time he took off…towards the end of the last Bodoukai Goten ever entered…Goten lost all of that. What kind of father was that?

He wasn't a father at all in Gotens eyes.

Gohan seemed to have some kind of pardon for him. Goten tried to convey his feelings towards Goku to Gohan but he only fired back excuse after excuse in Gokus' defense. What was wrong with everyone? Did Goten have to become some kind of threat to the earth in order to bring his father back? Who knew where in the UNIVERSE the man was NOW? It was certainly not his family or the friends who seemed to excuse him every time he abandoned them. As far as Goten was concerned, he had no father, just another Santa Clause figure that came only once a year, if that, and whom everyone loved and believed in religiously.

He threw on his brown leather jacket that fitted his body just enough to show his physique. Being Trunks best friend and a 'hottie' had sort of gone to his head. No worries though, he wasn't a playboy like Trunks, not down the sexual avenue anyways.

He grabbed his keys and hurried downstairs, but when he passed his mothers room he stopped short. The door was open just barely, but with his heightened eyesight and hearing ability, that didn't matter. He saw his mother, the only woman to own a part of his heart, crying in front of her vanity. His mother wasn't one who expressed a lot of concern over her looks, not compared to girls he knew, but there she was looking in the mirror…and crying. He wanted to go in there and tell her how beautiful she really was but she would only be angry and secretly embarrassed that he saw her that way. He was about to quietly step away until he saw what was in her hand. It was his fathers' photo. She only had a few pictures of him, naturally since he was rarely there. Goten could feel his anger rising. Another crime by Gohans' fathers' absence. Goten almost went into a tantrum until she spoke, and then he went entirely still.

"Was I not GOOD enough for you to WANT to be here with me? Am I too OLD? Do I not COOK well enough?"

Chichi wiped her tears away with a ragged handkerchief. All her eye makeup was everywhere on her face. She didn't seem to care. Who was there to look beautiful for anyways? Goten was torn just watching her like this. He knew he couldn't keep eavesdropping, but he couldn't just LEAVE her like this. She would be so angry with him if she knew he saw her.

"What should I DO? She needs me…no, she needs HIM. But he's never HERE! That no good BASTARD!" He thought hard about what to do…Gohan wouldn't be any help. He would just tell her what he told him…excuses. And Goten couldn't allow his mother to hear any of that bullshit. He had to do something for himself.

"I've got it!" Goten finally thought of something that would help her. He would have to ask for a favor from Trunks but Goten knew he wouldn't mind. He had to help his mom see that she didn't need that deadbeat to be wonderful. She was the greatest mom any one could have ever asked for. Damn if she didn't see that while Goten was around. He blew her a small kiss then stole away from the house.

Chichi struggled to look at herself in the mirror. It was a problem that had grown over the years since Goku had left the last time. Never any letters or any kind of message that he was ok and that he was thinking of her. Chichi reached into her lower drawer and pulled out the only man who paid attention anymore…good old Jack Daniels. Her family didn't know about her drinking. They wouldn't understand anyways. It was all she had sometimes. Gohan had Videl and Pan, Goten had the gift of youth, and Goku…well he probably wouldn't notice even if he WAS here.

She drank it straight from the bottle. She needed more than a buzz of course. She needed bliss. And if it came in the form of an endless supply of hard liquor, then so be it.

"What if my boys could see me now?" she pondered to herself. This only sent her into another emotional frenzy. What would they say? Would they lose all the respect for her that she'd instilled in them all those years? The respect they only seemed to naturally have for their father and never her? She had to work so hard to get it from them and he only had to show up. Fuck him.

Fuck him and his wasted time. She was the only REAL parent their boys had. If they couldn't see that…well they would when she wasn't around anymore. She knew they would. Chichi lit up a cigarette, another secret habit. It took the drowning sensation away from the alcohol. She looked at her reflection…she looked like trash that lived on the streets. She laughed bitterly and thought she might as well be with the way she wasted her life. The only thing that she felt love for was her boys and granddaughter. She never saw much of Pan…always gone these days being a teenage girl. Chichi remembered when she was a teen girl…she spent most of her life trying to win Goku over. She finally snagged him and the Son name too, but she never HAD 'him'.

She opened her jewelry box and pulled out a metal razorblade. She fingered it and felt its cold, flat, rectangular, aluminum blade against her permeable skin. She toyed with the thought of all she could do with it…and that was enough to satisfy her craving for revenge. She knew she only thought about that sort of thing when she was drinking. But she wasn't about to stop now. Who cared? Not her husband…the only one between them that kept their end of the bargain. This 'bargain' was commonly called 'marriage'. She laughed bitterly behind her Marlboro 100.

Fuck him.

Goten arrived at Trunks house earlier than Trunks thought he would. That guy had a knack for being late and Trunks had begun to work around that. But now there was someone in his room and talking about something that didn't seem too good and he was still half asleep.

"Trunks didn't you hear me? My moms' gone off the deep end and all because of that prick!"

He was awake, but what was he talking about? "Huh? What prick? Who are you talking about?"

Goten ran his hands over his face, swallowed by stress apparently. He collapsed on the lush sofa in Trunks room and covered his eyes with his right arm. "My mom is going off the deep end. I saw her crying in her room…with a picture of HIM in her hands."

Trunks gasped a little, "YOUR mom was crying? Wow, I don't even know what to say." Trunks knew that Son Chichi was as strong and prideful as even his own father. And that was pretty tough for anyone to achieve. Trunks sat up and stretched while Goten went on.

"She never cries unless she's happy. How could I not have seen this coming? I guess I was so wrapped up in my own anger I didn't even notice her pain. Now I feel as selfish as Goku."

Trunks shook his head while he stood up to find some going-out clothes. "Don't even think like that dude. You're NOT like him just because you missed what apparently EVERYONE else missed. You're mom is pretty good at hiding her feelings unless she's gushing over a wedding or her granddaughter. Don't beat yourself up too much; at least you actually caught it, unlike us."

Goten seemed to absorb that and gave Trunks a nod. "You're right, thanks man. I just need a favor from you to help me with my plan." Trunks kept his eyes on his hair in the mirror. He imagined what he'd look like with long hair. He laughed a little…like THAT would ever happen!

He didn't forget to acknowledge his friend. "What's that Goten?"

Goten didn't even blink. "I need cash…not A LOT but not a little either." Trunks only glanced at him to check his expression. He might have been pulling his leg, although he doubted it. "No problem Goten, what are friends for? I'll start you off with 500, and if you still need more, just ask, cool?" Goten smiled for the first time all afternoon. "Thanks Trunks, I really owe you, really."

Trunks just nodded while he slipped on his own black leather jacket with the capsule corp. emblem on the sleeves and breast pocket. "What's it for, if you don't mind me asking?" Goten heaved a heavy sigh, "I just want to show my mom that she's still loved and cherished before this depression gets out of hand." Trunks smiled at his lifelong friend, "Badass, she's lucky to have you bro."

Goten scoffed, "Yeah…I'm not gonna be like that loser she calls a husband."

Trunks inwardly cringed at his friends words. He loved Goten like his own flesh and blood but over the past year he had grown increasingly apathetic and dark. It was like a rotting of his heart, which used to be big and loving. Now it seemed like this absent father thing was eating at the very core of him. He was sad to see his friend going through such a bitter phase but he still wished he would snap out of it. Maybe even find a healthier way to channel his frustrations. Maybe Trunks should get him back into sparring.

Goten waved his hands in front of Trunks face. "Hellooooo are you there?" Trunks snapped out of his thought process. "Oh yeah sorry, I was just thinking. You ready to go?"

Goten nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be, and I could sure use a drink right now." The two friends headed out the door, running into Trunks little sister Bra on the way out. She smiled at Goten, "Hey Goten, going to the Code Orange tonight?"

'Code Orange' was the term for an Orange Star HS party. Teenage parties had become classified by school district or if the host was a student of a particular school.

Goten nodded, "Yeah, I take it you girls are going as well?" Bra nodded, suddenly bubbling with excitement, "Yeah, so is your niece, turns out she has a wild side too." Goten raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?" Bra giggled, "Well, we're picking her up tonight even though she's not allowed to go. Isn't that 'wild'? I never thought our little Chibi Panny would ever grow up!" Goten shook his head, he didn't want her turning into another one of 'those' kids. The only thing that stopped him from stopping her was that he would be there to look out for her. Plus if he told on her, she could easily get dirt on him.

Goten saw Trunks shake his head and frown, but didn't want to say anything in front of Bra, knowing she'd soak in everything and spill it to her gossiping friends. Bra just winked at Goten and flitted outside to the honking car. Marron was driving and Cherry was sitting shotgun with a smoke hanging from her lips. Marron called out to Goten and Trunks, "Hey boys, going our way?" The two just nodded and Goten gave half-hearted thumbs up. The girls were obviously buzzed and Marron was driving. Trunks couldn't stand girls like them, even though they'd grown up together minus Cherry, but he couldn't let them drive this way.

"Hey would you like to ride with us? I don't want you to get a ticket or crash or anything." Goten shot him a sharp look but Trunks kept the offer on the table. The girls giggled maniacally and Marron spoke up. "Oh Trunks quit trying to get us into your backseat, we'll be fine! Besides, we have another lady who needs our vehicle assistance." With that she sped out of the driveway, swerving all the way onto the main street. Trunks tensed at the fact that his little sister was in the backseat, opening her own can of beer, and speeding down to the same party he was at. "If I see Marron get completely trashed I'm taking all of them home, so be forewarned." Goten nodded, not wanting to see his oldest friends hurt, no matter how superficial they'd become. Then he remembered…

"Hey what was that look about when Bra mentioned Pan? I saw you so don't pretend there was no look." Trunks shrugged while he started the engine to his SUV. He learned that driving convertibles to where drunk kids were gonna be was a bad idea. Once he actually caught to people making out in the back seat. He didn't even wanna think about what he would have found fifteen minutes later.

"I don't know Goten. Out of all the girls, Marron, Bra, and Pan, Pan was always the closest thing to genuine after elementary. In Junior High, Marron and Bra kinda went south in the heart department. I guess I hate seeing her turn into that. Plus she always seemed to care the most when we were young, even though she was too young to really know what was wrong."

Goten found he agreed with his friend. He did miss the old Pan who wanted to be a fighter like her dad and himself. Who knows, she might have actually been pretty good.

Trunks sighed, "I always told myself 'Hey at least there's PAN' whenever the other two would do some shitty thing to someone else. Now, I don't even know if there's that." Goten looked at his friend closely, he'd REALLY taken all this to heart. Before he could conclude anything else, Trunks spoke up.

"Aw you remember the old days, we were all like family. She's like a sister to me, or WAS at least. Let's get out of here."

Goten turned the stereo up while Trunks sped down the driveway, a lot safer than Marron did to say the least.

The girls arrived at the party, everyone's attention turned to them, naturally. Some of the guys even looked Pans way. Pan had felt more confident that night than ever before. This was it; she was finally doing something right. A few songs and beers later, Marron gathered her friends around a corner away from the crowds.

Cherry was dancing in place to the music while Bra joined her. They were enjoying their buzz and weren't about to let it get away from them. Pan was taking in the sights around her. A lot of kids from Orange Star were dancing, playing drinking games, flirting, making out, smoking cigarettes, and enjoying themselves. There was a DJ playing in the massive living room. The nicest house Pan had ever been in was Capsule Corp. mansion. This place was almost just as nice. It was up on a hill with a huge horse shoe drive way. The back yard had three massive pools and five surrounding hot tubs. All of them were, of course, filled with drunken teenagers. It had three stories and two wings. Some of the house was blocked off so not to let the mob mess up the ENTIRE house. There were certain rooms that were marked by orange star stickers on the doors that meant they were there for the taking. If they were in use then someone put a sock or some article of clothing on the door handle. There was a huge alcohol supply in various rooms of the house. Colorful lights splashed around the rooms, giving it a club atmosphere. The stairs were wide and were made of strong plastic so it looked like it had floating black steps. Glow sticks were being passed around and everyone was waving them around, causing a colorful light bug effect.

Marron pulled the girls into one of the ground floor bathrooms. Luckily, no one had puked in there yet. To Pan, the room was somewhat spinning but she still had control of herself. The other two, Bra and Cherry, didn't seem as fortunate. Marron put her purse on the black marble counter. She looked at her friends knowingly in the mirror. They all gathered around her. What was her surprise she promised them?

Cherry slurred the question into being, "What IS it already Marron? We wanna go dance again!"

Marron smiled, "Oh you'll be dancing alright!" Marron pulled out a plastic bag with what looked like baking soda in it. It wasn't a lot and that's what confused Bra and Pan. Cherry gasped and giggled uncontrollably. "Marron Chestnut where the hell did you get that?!" Marron grinned deviously, "I know a guy." Cherry looked excited and wide-eyed, "Are we all gonna do it?" Marron laughed, "Of course silly, there's enough in here to send all of us to the moon for half an hour."

Cherry laughed the laugh of one who had drunk more than enough.

"You first silly…silly girl you!" Marron shook her head. "I believe the first line goes to our leading lady…Pan." Bra had been continuously asking what it was the entire time. Pan didn't want to know. Marron looked at them, "Girls this is "Grade A" Nose Candy!" Pan knew what she was talking about and didn't say anything. Bra looked more confused due to the alcohol. "Wha..? We're going to eat with our NOSES?"

Marron and Cherry laughed and Marron answered her, "Yeah you could say that." Marron took out her mirror and sprinkled some of the coke on it. She took a razor blade and scraped it all into a small line. She looked at Bra who had a drink in her hand. "Give me that straw." Bra handed Marron the straw. She promptly cut the straw with the blade.

Marron looked at Pan who felt so nervous her palms were sweating. The familiar sting of regret pulsated through her body along with the alcohol. What the HELL was she going to do? This could cost her big time. How did she know if she would get back home in time? She would be caught and grounded for LIFE! But she was here…and they were finally seeing her as an equal. Pans mind was in a tug of war with itself. Lose her friends or lose her parents trust forever.

Marron held out the straw. The look on her face was enough to make Pan happy and sick at the same time. She felt like Marron could see right through her, and she probably did. Cherry was laughing hysterically while Bra just stare and Marron quirked an eyebrow at Pan. "Well Pan? Tonight is your night, you're up."

Pan nervously took the straw feeling all eyes on her again. The sweat was becoming more prominent.

She was back in elementary.

……………………………………………………

Well that's all I have time for for now. I hope you guys liked it at least. Thanks for reading!

Knives


	3. Give a Dog a Bone

Aw man I was reading another TP fic and there was a similarity that I just noticed and I don't want anyone to think that I plagiarize. I wrote how Goten thought of his father as "Santa clause", well I came across that exact metaphor in another story and just so everyone knows I didn't read that until after I had written my previous chapter. So there you have it…if worse comes to worse I'll change it. Yes there is drug abuse woven into this story for almost all of it. I'm not advocating the use of drugs, I've never DONE drugs (yeah even I'm surprised) and I would never encourage someone else to. This story is just for your entertainment and my creative outlet. Thanks to the people who reviewed so far.

Oh yeah!! The ages are as follows

Pan-15

Marron-18

Bra-15

Cherry-17

Goten-18

Trunks-18 (closer to 19)

Knives

-------------

Chapter 3-Give a dog a bone

Marron looked smugly at her little friend. Pan was barely what 'she' would consider her 'friend', and she sometimes forgot why she bothered with her. But Pan would always come to _her_ no matter what nasty thing she did. Marron just gave a sigh and told herself that it was Pans choice to stick around. Right now she was testing that desire with the biggest 'friend test' yet: drugs. Unknown to her friends, Marron had taken up snorting a while back already; she just wasn't going to let them see that unless she had dirt on them as well. Her own PARENTS hadn't noticed her major weight loss, not that she wasn't slim already. They hardly noticed anything she did…she was their 'perfect angel'. Marron knew that they couldn't have anymore kids after she was born…something to do with her mothers' genetic makeup. She was told that it was a miracle that Marron was born at all. Marron wasn't ashamed to say that she used that to her advantage more than once.

Pan was so nervous Marron could taste it. This was like some kind of power trip, like drugs. She wanted Pan to hurry since she was starting to feel the effects of her last hit fading. It only lasted about half an hour. "Damnit Pan just fucking hurry up! Quit being so damn scared all the time!"

She was getting weary; she needed another hit and she needed it fast. She disguised this as only impatience over Pans indecision, which it partially was. She yanked the straw from Pans sweaty hands and bent over the counter where the mirror was. "Fuck it Pan I'LL do it!" Pan look horrified as Marron lost her temper with her. Marron didn't have time for silly games now. Though at the back of her mind she wondered if her impatience would cause Pan to react…whatever, she had to take care of herself first. Cherry was snickering like a damn alcoholic and Bra looked like she might be as scared as Pan only she was hiding it better.

She saw her reflection briefly in the compact mirror before she focused on the line of white powder. With one swift motion she inhaled it and almost immediately felt the effects take over. She took a deep breath and let Cherry fix her own line up. She heard the door open and shut and quickly looked up to see who had intruded. No one had come in but someone had left. Pan was gone. Bra looked at the closed door then back at Marron. "What if she tells someone that…"

Before she could finish her predictable sentence, Marron interrupted. "Fuck her she's too in love with us to rat us out. Let her be a wimp! Stupid kid…"

Bra tried to look as if she didn't want to leave the room herself, but Marrons reaction to Pans bravery only showed Bra how her predicament intensified. Bra and Marron were actually friends; Pan was just a tag-along that meant almost nothing to Marron. And if Marron was so uncaring about Pan, who had grown up with Marron like she had, she would only be worse with Bra. So she stayed…and when it was her turn…she did her best to look like it didn't bother her at all.

Trunks was standing with a group of his friends and all the girls that were still trying their luck with him. Goten had his arm around some blonde girl who was almost too trashed to hold herself up. The party was heading quickly towards the point when everyone would be too drunk to drive home or to remember anything the next day. Trunks was trying his best to hold a conversation with a girl who seemed sober enough to respond intelligently when he thought he saw Pan run blindly out the front door. She looked frantic and upset…what happened? The name Marron flashed like a neon sign in his mind. He excused himself, quite pointlessly since they tried with all their might to keep him around, and ran to find Pan. They weren't particularly close anymore, but she was his former sensei's daughter, it would be wrong of him not to keep an eye on her.

Pan tried to fight the tears in her eyes and was trying to locate someone sober enough to drive her home. She went near a couple of people but one of them was so blitzed she threw up, another person threw empty beer cans at her, and the rest were too drunk. She sat down somewhere on the grass and laid down. The sounds of the party in progress seemed to fade into the background. She was glad she wore her jacket because a cool wind started to blow through the yard. What had she done? She took two steps forward and ten steps backward. This would take a lot of 'proving herself' to make up for her backtracking. How could Marron even THINK of doing coke? What the hell had possessed her to…

"Pan?"

Pan turned, surprised to see Trunks coming towards her. Great. Her face was a mess, she reeked of alcohol, and she had nothing to say to him. "Hey…" She couldn't have felt any lamer.

He sat next to her, apparently worried. For a moment, a memory of them sitting together as kids flashed through her mind. She didn't know if it was the glimpse she caught of his uniquely lavender hair or his scent. Memories were funny things.

He spoke first. "What happened in there Pan? I saw you run out of the house like you'd seen Cell himself!" Pan lifted an eyebrow seeing as how she'd NEVER seen cell. Trunks caught that but didn't want to further expose his mistake. "What did Marron do now?" Pan sat up and covered her face with her hands. How could she tell him this? What did he care? Although it seemed like betrayal to rat out her 'friends', she couldn't resist having someone to talk to.

"Marron usually plans little 'surprises' for us when we go out. It's always something like cigarettes or even flavored cigars…nothing serious."

Trunks just listened, curious as to what Marron was really up to. Pan began to feel a familiar tightness in her chest. Her breathing became labored and she began to feel extremely restless. She had been experiencing panic attacks for some time now although she wasn't practical enough to try and figure out WHY. Trunks noticed this and his confusion about Pan doubled. She was practically family even though they weren't particularly close anymore. He always wondered why the devil she would follow Marron and Bra around so dedicatedly when they would probably never even notice if she were to drop off the face of the planet. Now here she was in complete distress over probably offending them, hell he didn't know. Nobody knew what was going on in girls heads these days, particularly these three.

"Go on Pan." Trunks tried to make her feel as reassured as possible. If she was going to trust someone, it should be him and NOT Marron or Bra. She took deeper breaths, embarrassed that he was watching her in such an embarrassing state. Here was the most popular, sought after, richest guy she knew and here she was falling apart in front of him. The punches just kept on coming.

"She took us into the bathroom and she…well she pulled this little bag from her purse. It had…"

"Coke." Trunks interrupted and Pan just nodded in agreement. Trunks felt that pure annoyance rising up in him, the same annoyance he had felt in the driveway a few hours before. "What the hell is she thinking? She's probably the stupidest person I know I just hope Bra…"

He trailed off and a look of pure worry washed over his face. "Pan, just stay here, do not follow me." He was gone before she could answer. Slapping herself mentally, she knew that this was going to trace itself back to her and she would be taking the fall for all of this.

Trunks ran into the house, pushing through shit faced girls that threw themselves at him and his drunken friends trying to get a ride home. He went in the direction he'd seen Pan run from earlier and saw the door to the bathroom. He didn't know if the door was locked or not because he opened that door with hardly any force.

………………………………………………

Bra just watched Marron sitting on the toilet, seemingly in a very good state of mind. Maybe she could get out of this after all. Cherry had gotten impatient and scraped her own lines up. Bra noticed she did more than one, showing that perhaps she had done this many times before. She snapped up from the counter like a jolt went through her and rubbed her nose. "Holy shit…" She shook her head like she was trying to snap out of something. She was laughing a little too. "Shit…" Bra didn't want to panic. She mentally slapped herself; giving her brain another one of her many pep talks.

"Ok, you can DO this. You are BRA BRIEFS, richest girl in school. You can TAKE anything and you can DO anything you put your mind to. You DON'T have to do this anymore after this time. You are going to show them that you're still cool and you're not afraid to at least try something once."

She picked up the mini straw from the counter, noticing that a line was already set up for her. Marron was still sitting on the toilet and Cherry was sitting on the floor in front of her. They were making idle conversation. Maybe she could fake it. "No Bra! Be strong…everyone has tried this. Don't be a wimp like fucking Pan." Bra kept trying to shake the envious feeling she was having because Pan was brave enough to run out…"Or stupid enough." Who knew, it might actually be ok. She started to lean over the counter, keeping her wits about her with every inch she eliminated between her and the counter. But right before she could put the straw to her nose, the bathroom door burst open. So nervous, Bra threw the straw into the sink while a small shriek escaped her lips. When she saw who the intruder was, anger replaced her fear.

"Trunks you idiot, what the hell do you want?!" He looked at the now disturbed coke splayed over the mirror on the counter. He went over to Bra and wrapped his fingers over her wrist. She knew it was pointless to pull away but her pride insisted that she try. "Trunks let me go this is none of your business!" Trunks kept his steel grip on his baby sister and turned his attention to the frantic girls. Cherry looked like a cat in a dog yard. "Oh my gawd are the cops here? Did you tell them we were in here? This is fucking horrible! We're going to get arrested! I can't…I can't handle that! Fuck you Trunks! Fuck Pan wherever SHE is!"

Marron just looked angry and vicious. She went up to Trunks with fury, "How dare you come in here and interrupt us! This is none of your business! Don't think that because you're the richest guy around that you can control everyone! You fucking freak I'll tell everyone you're little secret you fucking ALIEN FREAK…I'll TELL EVERYONE…no one will want you after…"

Marron sunk quickly to the floor after Bra delivered a swift chop to her neck…one of the few self defense techniques her father made her learn. She never thought she would have to use it on her best friend. Marron was her friend, but she couldn't let her ruin her family like that. Hell Marron was the daughter of one of the infamous androids. Bra knew it had to be the drugs affecting her judgment and a wave of relief came over her. But she was still mad at Trunks for his intrusion. Trunks let Cherry run past him into the crowds of other intoxicated people. He picked Marron up, his grip still on Bra, and marched them outside. He found Goten and handed Marron to him. He looked completely bewildered at the sight. "Trunks what the hell is going on? Is she that drunk? Why are you holding Bra like that?" Trunks handed Bra's wrist to Goten, "I'll explain later, do NOT let her go. Please drive them home, Bra will give you Marrons keys, right Bra?" The look in his eye encouraged Bra to nod. Goten found himself at a loss for words and yelled to Trunks who was half way to the door. "What about you? Where are you going?" Trunks answered him back, not sure if he heard him or not. "I'm going to help a friend." Goten wasn't sure if he heard right but he knew Trunks would explain later. He gently but firmly pulled Bra with him to show him the way to Marrons car and she led the way without a fight. She had Marrons purse in her hands and dug through them to find the keys. Goten couldn't help himself, "What happened back there Bra?"

She used her manicured fingertips to brush away the tears from her blue eyes. "Nothing, just drive us home."

Trunks went outside to find Pan frantically pacing in the grass. He went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder so she'd calm down. This gesture only caused the opposite of its intentions. She started to act like Cherry had back in the restroom, paranoid. "Oh shit Trunks what happened? Are they angry at me? What happened? Tell me!"

Trunks waved his hands around to get her attention, "Whoa whoa calm down! Just calm…yeah there you go…just stay calm." She was standing still but her breathing remained labored. He couldn't believe what a disaster his casual Friday night had become. His loathing for Marron became more and more prominent in his mind. He put both hands on her shoulders and bent over a little so he could be eye to eye with her. She seemed to calm down a little more. "Pan, did you see Bra snort any of that stuff?" Pan shook her head, "I only saw Marron do it, and then I ran." Trunks figured she wasn't there long enough to see Bra do it even if she had. He nodded, "And you didn't right?" She shook her head faster than she needed to. Trunks sighed heavily then sought to console her before taking her home. Hopefully it wasn't past her curfew because he didn't want GOHAN on his back either.

"Look Pan…it's going to be fine. Marron has her own problems and you don't need to worry about her anyways. You have your own life to live. Now let's get you home ok?" She didn't say anything; she only followed him to his giant black escalade. He opened the door for her then went around to the drivers' seat. Pan sat in silence while they made the journey to her house. Trunks felt his heart go out to her and at the same time pity her. She could have and BE so much but instead she CHOSE to be a 'wannabe'. She chose submission instead of leadership. Knowing her lineage personally, even more than she did, he knew that she had every advantage yet she never took any of them. Trunks stifled a humorless laugh when he imagined what his father would say to her if she were HIS daughter, no doubt something about Saiyin pride and the like. He glanced at her briefly. She was still staring out the window, but he could see that her mind was torrid with worry from the way her eyes moved quickly to and fro. He put his hand over hers, startling her from her thoughts. "Look, don't worry Pan, these things work themselves out. Trust me, after almost four years of this high school bullshit, people forget things. They might be angry for a little while but trust me you guys will be alright in a week TOPS." Instead of seeing Pan cheer up a little, he heard her scoff. "Sure Trunks, I'm sure you would know." He was slightly offended at her throwing his help back in his face. "Jeez Pan, what do you WANT me to say?" Pan shook her head, "You don't have to say anything, just don't pretend like you understand all this." Now she was being downright ungrateful, but he remained calm.

"Fine Pan, I don't understand that they treat you like crap ANYWAYS so how would I expect you to know the 'difference' between them being ok with everything and them being upset…ya happy?"

Pan had had it with everyone always throwing that in her face. Some people, like herself, just had to work a little harder for their friends. Was that so WRONG? "And I wouldn't expect YOU to understand that sometimes people have to WORK for their friendships! I have worked my ASS off for several YEARS and I'm not going to let some pompous PLAYBOY talk like that to me!"

Now she had crossed the line and he had no reason to be nice anymore. "Pan, wake up! Those girls KNOW they have you wrapped around their fingers! They abuse you in so many ways but you take that abuse as a sign of friendship! You act like they're God's gift to mankind and its BAD ENOUGH that they ALREADY think that! Everyone pities how you pine after them, ready to do anything for them to accept you! There are better people all over the world and you choose to follow the WORST possible kind of people! They're not friendly, not even with each other! They sleep with the other ones boyfriends just to boost their own ego. They do stupid catty things and now they bring DRUGS to each other AND to you! Now what DON'T I understand?"

By now Pan had tears running down her face and she was getting angrier with every word that came out of Trunks mouth. They were near enough to Pans house for her to walk.

"Stop the car!" Trunks came to a smooth halt, "What? What is it?" She opened the door, ignoring his questions. Before she closed the door she turned to face him. Her eyes were piercing his and her lip was curved into a snarl. "What YOU don't understand is that we're not all as rich as you and people aren't as willing to be nice to those who don't have much! You never have to worry about friends because EVERYONE wants to be your friend! You don't know what its like to not have a damn special thing about you! I KNOW I'm not as pretty as them or as clever. You're TRUNKS BRIEF, you were BORN somebody, you ARE somebody and you will DIE somebody!"

Trunks sat there, soaking it all in. There was no stopping her now.

"You never cared about me ANYWAYS! Yeah we all grew up together but do you CALL me? Do you say 'hi' to ME at school? Do you give a SHIT that our families have known each other for generations and have come together and saved the fucking PLANET over and over? No…all you care about is whatever you're money CAN"T buy you because that's all you HAVE to worry about! So don't presume to know a DAMN thing about me when you don't know what its like to BE me! Monday morning I don't even KNOW what MY fate is going to be. But you can wake up every day and know who you are and what your place is in the world. So FUCK you!"

With that last curse she slammed his door, denting it, and stalked down the poorly lit road to her house.

Trunks sat there, bewildered. She had struck a nerve, and he should have gotten out of the car and put her in her place. But then again, that would have only proven her right about him. He idly watched her storm down the street to her house. He noticed some of her neighbors were peaking out their windows to see what all the noise was about so he started driving home. He tried to shut Pans voice out of his mind but it was pointless.

……………………………………………………………

Pan finally made it home, her face was a mess and she just wanted to get into her comfortable safe bed. She couldn't get back in the way she came so she went to her front door and used her house key to get in. After she had carefully shut the door she tip-toed her way over to the stairs. She was about to start climbing them when the living room lights came on. She saw her dad sitting in his recliner, arms crossed, looking at her. She had blown it and she would never see daylight again. He cleared his throat, "Welcome back home Pan."

……………………………………………….

Ooooh what will happen next? The next chapter is where everything speeds up and…well you'll just have to find out won't you?

Knives


	4. Makes the Medicine Go Down

Sorry this has taken so long. The life of a mommy isn't and easy one.

-TPV

Chapter 4- Makes the medicine go down

Hello Monday morning and goodbye social life.

Pan walked with her eyes downcast off the bus on the side of the school. She didn't know or care who was looking at her, she knew none of these people mattered...yet. Once Marron was able to start spreading nasty rumors about her, then it would matter. She knew Marron held her whole high school existence in the palm of her perfectly manicured hands. Pan didn't even try today when it came to her wardrobe. Instead of getting up before the sun did to pick something out she slept until it was almost time to catch the bus. Neither of her parents said anything to her.

She could feel her mothers eyes watching her for awhile while she ate a quick breakfast. Pan knew it was one of those "what happened to my sweet little girl" looks. She _hated_ that look. Without a word she left the house and trudged down to the bus stop where a few other kids she saw everyday waited.

Pan was embraced by a cool blast of wind when she opened the heavy door to the school building. All the faceless people passed her by like a blur. She almost caught herself feeling self-conscious about her plain t-shirt and jeans. Who was she kidding? After first period, it wouldn't even matter. Everyone would be stuffed with the worst and positively untrue information about her in a few hours. She would be ruined like Sharon Atsuko, the last person to piss Marron off royally. Pan had only seen her a few times after Marron got through spreading lies about her. Pan didn't even know what the poor girl had done to make Marron so angry. The word was that it got so bad that Sharon had to transfer schools.

Pan contemplated just transferring in advance but her parents wouldn't hear of it at this point. She couldn't even talk to them anymore. They would just interrupt or just walk out of the room. Sometimes she wondered how that was supposed to make her behave.

Pan felt all the hairs on her body stand up straight when she heard the voice of the one she'd been dreading.

"Look who it is...it's our little nark friend PAN!"

Marron was surrounded by a bunch of other students Pan somewhat considered to be her friends at one time;_ before_ this morning.

They were all looking at her and laughing about something Marron had told them long before Pan had gotten there. Pan just kept walking, already accepting the fact that this was her new way of life here at school. After all her hard work just to be friends with the very people that she grew up with, this is how it would all end. Maybe, if she worked hard enough with all her new free time, she could graduate early and forever get away from this horrible place.

Pan knew that Marron had only just begun. She was surprised she had gotten off so easy just then. She hurried to her locker to get her books for first period then hurried to her class. She thought about asking one of those bulky football players to stuff her in her locker for the day. After Marron had done her damage she didn't doubt that they probably would.

Goten was about to take the valium he'd purchased off of a certain someone when he noticed Trunks head his way. He stuffed them into his pocket and pulled a book out of his locker. Trunks looked stressed about something. "Hey bro, what's with you today?"

Trunks shook his head, "Nothing man, just got a test later I think and I didnt really study." Goten half laughed and half scoffed, "Oh like that would stress YOU out when you have a 4.0. You KNOW all this high school shit man, you're already in college prep courses!"

Trunks should have known that Goten would see through that bullshit excuse. He rubbed his face with his hands, ignoring a few girls that waved to him flirtatiously. "It's your niece Goten. She fucking got to me the other night."

Now Trunks had his attention. "Whoa wait, what do you mean GOT to you? You didn't do anything with her did you? Cause if you-"

"What the hell? You KNOW that wouldn't happen for about a million reasons! Come ON give me SOME credit!"

Goten smiled sheepishly, "Yeah you're right. Sorry bout that. So what is it then? Is this about Friday? She got seriously grounded! She can't go anywhere for like, the rest of the year!"

Trunks shook his head, that was her own doing. Goten was waiting for an explanation.

"I tried to tell her what we all know to be true, thinking that maybe in that situation she would finally see it. Instead she just...she just told me off about ME! I didn't even do anything to her but now that I think about it...maybe I did." Goten looked even more shocked.

"She told YOU off? Wow I didnt think anyone belonging to the female breed would tell YOU off unless you stood them up or something."

Trunks just looked at his friend with annoyance. Goten put his hands up in defeat "Sorry, sorry."

"So what DID she say huh? I've seriously GOT to know now!"

Despite his friends questions, Trunks decided to do something he should have done a long time ago. He walked down the halls hoping to find Pan even though the school consisted of several LARGE buildings, besides that fact the bell had just rung. Trunks decided to find her later, maybe during lunch since he'd seen her in his lunch period numerous times.

Marron took another long drag from her cigarette, her eyes settled on something in the distance it seemed.

"It's perfect, we'll do it."

Bra and Cherry looked at each other skeptically. They didn't know why Marron was always so bent on getting Pan. Other people had done worse things then run away then tell someone who couldn't even do anything to them. It was like it was Marrons lot in life to destroy Pan, even though Pan was doing a fine enough job on her own. Cherry took the initiative to speak up.

"Seriously Bra, I think ousting her from our group is torture enough. The poor girl did everything in the world just to be our friend."

Marron threw her cigarette filter to the ground and stomped on it more than necessary. "She is an embarrassment to my judgment! To think that I ever let her be our friend is disgraceful! We must let others know what happens when you embarrass Marron Chestnut!"

As if the clouds had cleared the sky in both Bra and Cherry's mind, they started to see Marron in a self-obsessed light. Bra didn't even feel worried when she finally spoke her mind. "Cool it Marron! It's not like she's some skank loser! This is PAN we're talking about! Our families have saved the ea-" Bra stopped when she remembered that Cherry was present. "Our families have been friends for generations! We can't let some stupid drama come in between that! I say you just let it go."

Marron stomped over to where Bra was sitting next to Cherry, her wedge heels thudding against the ground. "Bra! Quit your good samaritan bullshit! This affects you too! You don't want her to start telling everyone that we're some fucking coke whores now do you?"

Bra looked sheepishly at the ground. She didn't think of that but still, she didn't think Pan would do that either.

"Exactly my point, so we MUST crush her while we can!"

Bra and Cherry exchanged glances...there was no stopping Marron now.

Pan idly sat in her literature class, staring blankly ahead but not really paying attention. So far, she could tell Marron hadn't begun her major damage yet seeing as how no one paid any attention to her. She would definitely know when Marron had woven her web of revenge.

First period was just more of a stress period. Pan felt anxiety attack after anxiety attack, almost as if she'd expected Marron to burst into the room and ruin her right then. She hurried to her second period, running into countless people. Some of the people from the "in crowd" still said hi to her. She hastily waved back and continued on her seemingly endless way to second period. She might as well get used to no one talking to her, even her own parents.

Now here she was in her class, not even paying attention to anything that was being said. Next period was lunch, Marrons favorite time to do her dirty work. When that dreaded bell rang Pan waited a few minutes before getting out of her seat.

I Might as well get it over with.'

Pan collected all her things and walked into the masses of students going to lunch or third period. So this was it, the one thing in life she fought so much against. Here it was HAPPENING and she couldn't do anything about it. No one could and even if they did, there were very few people who could actually have more influence than Marron.

Pan walked outside, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight. She didn't exactly feel like eating but her inherited appetite begged to differ. After standing in line for food, she ran into the very thing she was waiting for.

Marron was with a group of people, as usual, only now they had a prime target: her. They were all looking at her and Marron was saying snide little comments, like always. Of course, Pan knew that wasn't her WORST. Marron stepped forward like a bee (the _queen_ bee to be exact) emerging from the hive.

"There she is, thats the girl who gave Kevin that rash!"

Oh Lord was she KIDDING? Of ALL things to say...

Everyone started making noises like they were disgusted. The thing is, Pan knew that ALL of them knew that this was what Marron did. It didn't matter if any of what she said was true, they were going to play along and stay on her good side. Marron circled her like some vulture with designer jeans, laughably.

"Then she tried to give it to ME when she told me she was in love with me all this time!" Pan felt completely horrified. How could ANYONE be so cruel? Now she regretted all the times she helped Marron do this to other people. How could she? Pan finally realized that there were many people who had been in her current position. She had been a bitch just like Marron and her 'friends' and it had taken her to be in this position to see it.

"Fucking lesbian! After I was your friend all these years..."

Marron never got to finish because Pans fist connected with the side of her face. It was all a blur from there.

Trunks had walked up just in time to see Pan plant one right on Marrons cheek, a punch that is. He stopped in his tracks, completely surprised. Had he really just seen that? He knew that even though Pan never trained, saiyins were naturally MUCH stronger than anyone else. If Marron hadn't come from an android, he'd be seriously worried about Pan getting herself into some serious trouble. After that first punch, he saw Pan get a certain look on her face. He knew that look. It was bloodlust. He saw it on his father, his friends, and he knew he'd had it too. If he didnt step in soon, Marron could literally get herself killed. Everyone stood there speechless as Son Pan began to beat Marron relentlessly. Her voice was smooth as steel when she spoke.

"You were NEVER my friend. You don't know what I've done for you and now you'll pay."

Before Pan could deliver a possibly lethal blow, Trunks came up behind her and grabbed her away. He knew that when she came to, she might go into a state of shock and pass out. He ran with her in his arms through the crowds while students and teachers ran to take care of the beaten girl. Trunks knew that teachers and administrators would be told who it was that did the damage but for now he had to take care of Pan. He took her into a bathroom and told everyone to get out. He locked the door and put Pan on the ground. After wetting some towels he wiped the blood from her fists and arms. She started to wake up.

"Where the hell am I?"

Trunks was relieved that she seemed ok. She looked at him puzzled. "How did I get in this bathroom with you? Whats going on Trunks?"

He sighed and wiped some blood off her face. "You lost it and I had to get you out of there before you ended up killing Marron."

Pan looked at him in disbelief...had she really done that? She looked at her 'rescuer', "Whats going to happen now?"

He gave a small smile that looked more hopeless than hopeful. "I don't know Pan."

Pan hated to cry in front of her estranged friend but she didnt know what else to do. She had just done one of the most unforgivable things she could have ever done.

At school anyways.

Trunks, not knowing what else to do, hugged her. Surprisingly, she didnt pull away but just let herself go.

Later that same day Pan sat in the office of the school psychiatrist with her parents. Both of them looked extremely displeased. Videl did alot of the talking, which was probably the worst idea.

"We don't know what's wrong with her. She lies, sneaks out, all she cares about is pleasing her so-called friends. We don't know what to do anymore!" Pan wanted to shout that she was just a normal teenager! She wasn't perfect but she wasn't some psycho either...right?

The psychiatrist, a Dr. Tealeaf, nodded and wrote some things down on a notepad. He looked at Pan through his thick glasses. The man couldn't have been older than thirty five but he had a certain air about him that said he knew what he was doing.

"Has she suffered any major losses in the family? Any abuse or neglect?" This time Gohan spoke up, "Her grandfather, whom she use to look up to, has been absent most of her life. Could it be that?" Dr. Tealeaf wrote down more things and nodded his head. "That could definitely be the root to her lifestyle of following and hidden anger."

Pan couldn't believe what she was hearing. All she wanted was for her 'friends' to like her! Thats all! Was that so wrong? She could barely remember her grandfather!

Her mom spoke up, "The school wants to expel her if you say that her presence is a threat to the other students. You won't do that will you?"

The doctor tapped his pen against the desk for a moment then stood up suddenly. He pulled a key from his pocket and went to a small cabinet. After unlocking it he opened it to reveal a plethora of bottles of medication. He pulled out two different bottles then re-locked the cabinet. He held them up in front of Pan and her parents. Gohan frowned, "Drugs? Do you REALLY think it's that bad?" Pan was relieved to hear SOMEONE with a voice of reason.

The doctor sat down, still holding up the bottles. "Well, yes and no. The school will only be satisfied with Pans attendance if they see something is being done about her behavior. We can give her a sort of trial run, if you will. I'll prescribe her a small dose of two drugs called carbamazepine and lithium. We give them mostly to people with borderline personality disorders, which Pan has shown signs of. They're mostly to relax her and keep her anger under control. There are some side affects but nothing too serious. And I can only give them to her with your written permission."

Pan sat there, wondering if her parents were REALLY going to put her on MEDICATION like she was some PSYCHOPATH!

Gohan and Videl talked to each other for a few minutes then came to a conclusion.

"We'll do it."

Yeah this was more of a filler chapter, sad to say. I wanted to get into the THICK of it but alas it was not yet time. I'll be starting fashion and design school monday but hopefully I'll still have the inspiration for this story. I can't wait to install the next chapter! I know Gohan and Videl are wonderful loving parents but I wanted to portray that even parents can make poor decisions (which I'm sure most of us ALREADY know). So don't worry, I'm not gonna make them some mindless parents. Plus I wanted to show that just because people have problems in their lives DOESNT mean they need meds stuffed down their throats! I hate how all these stupid commercials come on with the most RETARDED "disorders' like RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME!! Are you fucking kidding me? I know there are SOME real disorders out there but come ON! Its like if someone SNEEZES they have Exploding Nasal Cavity syndrome! I wish all these asshole "doctors" would quit trying to make everyday shit a disease so they can make money off of some bullshit medication with side effects like seizures, loss of hair, vomiting, the runs, headaches, nausea, and the like. I'd rather deal with just sneezing thank you!

please review!

TPV


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